“Hey, baby,” I greet him with a smile, pretending like my dick isn’t starting to swell at the thought of his mouth around me.

“Hi.” He steps into my space, pressing those delectable lips to mine, and I melt. I’m putty in his hands. His hand wraps around the back of my neck, and his tongue swipes along the seam of my lips. When he dips inside, I can’t help the deep groan. He must’ve smoked before coming here, as nicotine floods my senses.

When he pulls away, his eyes are glazed and hooded, and he looks at me with a sated grin that I’ve come to crave. He takes off his shoes, and I close the front door before we make our way toward the living room. My heart is racing, but I think we should talk now while it’s fresh on my mind. Get it out of the way so we can enjoy our night.

We both sit on the couch, and I turn my body to face him. “Hey, can we talk real quick? Something’s been on my mind and I wanna get it off my chest.”

I don’t miss the way his eyes widen, and the way his Adam’s apple bobs on a harsh swallow. Chuckling dryly, he asks, “This you breaking up with me, teach?”

He says it lightly, with a joking facade, but I immediately feel terrible. Especially with him calling me “teach.” “No! Oh, fuck, Cash. Nothing like that.”

“I’m kidding.” He laughs. “What’s up?”

It’s my turn to swallow hard now. My throat suddenly drier than hell. “I just… I want to see where your head’s at. I know we talked a while back and we laid it all out there, and we’ve been having fun and enjoying each other, but I don’t know where you’re at or what you want from this going forward.”

Peering over at him, I’m not sure what I expected to find—horror, humor, disgust—but I don’t see any of that. He’s watching me and truly listening. He reaches out and grabs my hand, which sends a zap of electricity straight through me.

“I’m glad you brought this up,” he says, bringing my hand up to his lips as he kisses it softly. “I really fucking care about you, and I’m happy with where we’ve gotten to. I never thought we’d end up here. I know it’s taken me longer to come to terms with everything, but I want to see where this goes.”

I let out a bated breath. “You do?”

He smiles. “Yes, I really do. There’s also something I need to talk to you about too.”

And just like that, the nerves in my gut are back. “Okay…”

“So, I know you know about the manuscript I’m writing.”

“Yeah,” I reply.